Big Fan [2009] [Region 1]

Staten Islander Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) is a die-hard fan of the red and blue. But it's not the United States of America that draws his devotion--it's the New York Jets. Paul and his friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan) can't believe their luck when they see a Giants player at a gas station. Following their hero takes them to a strip club in the city, where the unexpected happens, bringing Paul into the limelight. But regardless of the changes in Paul's life, there's always the late-season game with the Eagles--and a confrontation with arch enemy Philadelphia Phil (Michael Rapaport)--on the horizon. Also starring Marcia Jean Kurtz and Matt Servitto, BIG FAN marks the directorial debut of Robert Siegel, the screenwriter behind THE WRESTLER.

3 stars out of 4 -- "Comedian Patton Oswalt triumphantly nails every comic and dramatic nuance as Paul Aufiero, a New York Giants obsessive who has long ago moved from fan to fanatic."Rolling Stone

"[T]he final 15 minutes or so of BIG FAN are white-knuckle....The movie concludes with a series of tense, unpredictable scenes." -- Grade: B+A.V. Club

"[A] spasmodically funny and bleak love story....One of the pleasures of this agreeably low-key and modest film is that the writer and director Robert Siegel isn't selling a message or trying to wring a grand metaphor out of his humble material..."New York Times

3.5 stars out of 5 -- Siegel finds rich characterization, meaningful emotion and the highest of human stakes in vast and neglected worlds most films dont even bother to notice...Box Office

"The movie is an unblinking look at the hidden (or perhaps not so hidden) pathology of American sports mania..." -- Grade: A-Entertainment Weekly

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "A comedy with dark undertones....Patton Oswalt, best known as a stand-up comedian, brings a kind of brilliance to his performance."Chicago Sun-Times

Included in Entertainment Weekly's "The Best Films Of The Year" -- "[T]he MVP is comedian Patton Oswalt in a powerhouse dramatic debut, inhabiting the role with nothing held back..."Entertainment Weekly